A new ‘Game Change’ to be discussed

Mark Halperin and John Heilemann are two of the smartest political analysts around.

They wrote the book — quite literally — on the 2008 presidential campaign. They called it “Game Change,” and it became the subject of a movie and provided grist for commentators all across the country. It picked apart Barack Obama’s election to the presidency.

Well, the two men have collaborated yet again. They call their new book “Double Down: Game Change 2012.” Its topic is President Obama’s re-election and his bruising campaign against Republican Party nominee Mitt Romney.

The Texas Tribune is playing host Monday evening to an interview with the co-authors at the LBJ Presidential Library and Museum on the University of Texas-Austin campus. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that the event is sold out. No tickets are left. So if you wanted to attend, well, sorry about that.

Halperin and Heilemann have established themselves as detailed chroniclers of recent political history. “Game Change” established the authors’ credibility as political historians. “Double Down” figures to cement their reputation.

Both men have established lengthy careers in print and broadcast journalism. Halperin is editor-at-large and a senior political analyst for Time, covers politics, elections and government for the magazine and time.com. He is also a senior political analyst for MSNBC. Heilemann is the national political correspondent and columnist for New York magazine. He is a former staff writer for The New Yorker, Wired and The Economist.